Man jailed after XL Bully dog escaped and killed his neighbour

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A man has been jailed after his XL bully dog escaped from his home and killed his neighbour. Christopher Bell, 45, came out of his house barefoot to chase his neighbour, who had thrown a stone at his home in Shiney Row, near Sunderland, on October 3 2023.

Bell's two XL Bully dogs managed to escape when he left the door open and joined in chasing 54-year-old Ian Langley. Newcastle Crown Court heard that the animals overtook their owner and the larger one, Titan, knocked Mr Langley to the ground and latched on to his neck, causing unsurvivable injuries.

Titan had previously attacked two dogs and was “known to local residents”, the court heard. Prosecutor Jolyon Perks said a witness described seeing Mr Langley pacing in front of Bell’s house in Maple Terrace before picking up two stones, throwing them at the window and running across the road into a passageway.

He had run for about 100 metres before he was brought to the floor by Titan. Bell attempted to pull the dog away but the dog took hold of Mr Langley's neck between his jaws.